One of the more hazardous circumstances than can befall an automobile driver or a service station attendant or mechanic is a failure in the cooling system of an automobile engine. Water pump failure, broken drive belt for the water pump, failure in a hose between the radiator and the engine block, failure in a heater hose, failure in the head gasket, anyone of which results in the overheating of the coolant. Not only is the temperature of the coolant raised to the boiling point, but superheated steam is generally created with attendant high pressure. The best remedy for such a situation is to relieve the pressure, and the simplest step, but most dangerous, is to open or at least back off the pressure cap for the radiator. Not only is the cap hot to the touch but the internal pressure in the radiator requires downward pressure on the cap greater than normally is necessary to open the cap under good operating conditions. Standard procedure for the driver or attendant is to grab some cloths, place them over the cap, press down while turning and hope for the best while jumping back out of the way. If the cap is turned sufficiently to release the pressure, the pressurized fluid sprays out from under the cap in any and all directions. If the cap is turned too far, the cap is blown off the radiator filler spout, and a small geyser of hot fluid and steam streams upwardly, usually striking the underside of the raised hood from which it is sprayed outwardly indiscriminately. It is not uncommon for the driver or attendant to have to make more than one attempt to relieve the pressure, resulting in additional heating of the cloths being used and enhancing the opportunity for burning the hand. If the pressure cap is relieved, the cloths offer little protection from the spraying fluid. A leather glove in conjunction provides more protection from the hot cap but not from the heated fluid.
Many industrial operations involve the passage of hot fluids through conduits and valves. If a break occurs in a valve body, closing the valve may stop the outward spraying of the fluid. A hot valve is like a hot pressure cap. If a break occurs in a conduit, it is necessary to close the valve upstream of the break, and the valve may again be too hot to the touch.
Until the present invention there was no known hand protector which could be used in any of the foregoing situations which would provide safety to the person attempting to remedy the situation.